Awful upload update

Hi all

I wrote here a week or so ago about my awful upload speed (between
30-60kbps on a 512k Virgin.net connection). Although I have a good
signal (28dB attenuation) and good download speed my Receive Margin is
only 11 and my Send Margin is 4. Posters thought this was likely to be
due to bad telephone wiring in my house.

Today a BT engineer visited and ran tests. All fine at the master socket
in lounge; all fine at extension socket in bedroom; stats awful (Send
Margin down to 1!) at socket in computer room. What I had not realised
was that the computer room socket was an extension from the one in the
bedroom; nice BT man narrowed down the problem to the cable between them
being faulty.

Seventy pounds and a new cable later, Send Margin now read 26 with the
ADSL connector plugged into his machine. But when he plugged it back
into my modem, the reading fell to 1 again :-(

BT man said the modem must be faulty and I should get a replacement from
my ISP. I decided not to bother and am awaiting arrival of a router
instead. Just got this nagging worry of whether that will finally cure
it, and have I just spend 70 quid for nothing. . .

I really want to get this fixed so I can leave Virgin for Freedom2Surf
:-)

--
Nightowl

In article <e+(E-Mail Removed)>, owl@[127.0.0.1] says...
> Hi all

<snip>

Surely your ISP will have told you to test the connection into the
master socket first? Thus determining whether the extension was the
problem or the BT line, or your modem/filters. I find it troubling that
Virgin book BT engineers based only on your testing on extensions? I've
not read the original thread so I'm inferring from what you've written
here...

Alex

"Nightowl" <owl@[127.0.0.1]> wrote in message
news:e+(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi all
>
> I wrote here a week or so ago about my awful upload speed (between
> 30-60kbps on a 512k Virgin.net connection). Although I have a good
> signal (28dB attenuation) and good download speed my Receive Margin is
> only 11 and my Send Margin is 4. Posters thought this was likely to be
> due to bad telephone wiring in my house.
>
> Today a BT engineer visited and ran tests. All fine at the master socket
> in lounge; all fine at extension socket in bedroom; stats awful (Send
> Margin down to 1!) at socket in computer room. What I had not realised
> was that the computer room socket was an extension from the one in the
> bedroom; nice BT man narrowed down the problem to the cable between them
> being faulty.

Why not just get a wireless router and plug it into the master socket?

>
> Seventy pounds and a new cable later, Send Margin now read 26 with the
> ADSL connector plugged into his machine. But when he plugged it back
> into my modem, the reading fell to 1 again :-(
>
> BT man said the modem must be faulty and I should get a replacement from
> my ISP. I decided not to bother and am awaiting arrival of a router
> instead. Just got this nagging worry of whether that will finally cure
> it, and have I just spend 70 quid for nothing. . .
>
> I really want to get this fixed so I can leave Virgin for Freedom2Surf
> :-)
>
> --
> Nightowl

Alex Crosby wrote:
> In article <e+(E-Mail Removed)>, owl@[127.0.0.1] says...
>> Hi all
>
> <snip>
>
> Surely your ISP will have told you to test the connection into the
> master socket first? Thus determining whether the extension was the
> problem or the BT line, or your modem/filters. I find it troubling
> that Virgin book BT engineers based only on your testing on
> extensions? I've not read the original thread so I'm inferring from
> what you've written here...
>

You would be unpleasantly suprised if you knew just how few ISP
helpdesks actually ask their customers to test from the test socket in
the back of the NTE5. Most appear to ask them to plug into the NTE5 &
if there is a problem with the internal wiring it would still affect the
results until you actually disconnect it....

WCZ <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote on Tue, 13 Sep 2005:

>Why not just get a wireless router and plug it into the master socket?

I did consider it, but it already has a phone and a Sky box plugged in
and there's not really room for more clutter down there (the socket's in
a very awkward place, in the alcove of my living room window).

I thought I'd rather get the extension problem sorted out. At least I
have a lovely clear telephone line now. . .

--
Nightowl

Kraftee <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote on Tue, 13 Sep
2005:

>You would be unpleasantly suprised if you knew just how few ISP
>helpdesks actually ask their customers to test from the test socket in
>the back of the NTE5. Most appear to ask them to plug into the NTE5 &
>if there is a problem with the internal wiring it would still affect the
>results until you actually disconnect it....

Hi Kraftee

As I said in the earlier thread, I don't have an NTE5 in my house, so
couldn't do that anyway.

--
Nightowl

Alex Crosby <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote on Tue, 13 Sep 2005:

>In article <e+(E-Mail Removed)>, owl@[127.0.0.1] says...
>> Hi all
>
><snip>
>
>Surely your ISP will have told you to test the connection into the
>master socket first? Thus determining whether the extension was the
>problem or the BT line, or your modem/filters. I find it troubling that
>Virgin book BT engineers based only on your testing on extensions? I've
>not read the original thread so I'm inferring from what you've written
>here...

Hi Alex

No, don't blame Virgin for that :-) They did ask me early on to try to
check at the master socket, but I'm not physically able to move the
equipment (or myself much) and so couldn't do that. Also I don't have an
NTE5 box in my house.

I suspected the house wiring after helpful comments from Phil Thompson
to my earlier post. but didn't know whether the whole house might need
re-doing or whether it was a localised problem.

Perhaps I am wrong. but I understood that to have an ADSL engineer call
I had to ask the ISP to arrange it anyway? I'm quite happy to pay as the
fault was on my side.

I'm just puzzled because the engineer apparently tested my modem and
said it was okay before replacing the extension cable. I was just
wondering aloud whether it really was the extension, or the modem, or
both as the engineer said. . . and what will finally cure it.

--
Nightowl

On Tue, 13 Sep 2005 19:28:13 +0100, Nightowl <owl@[127.0.0.1]> wrote:

>Perhaps I am wrong. but I understood that to have an ADSL engineer call
>I had to ask the ISP to arrange it anyway? I'm quite happy to pay as the
>fault was on my side.

I believe that's the case, an ISP request for an ADSL fault will get
an ADSL trained engineer, ringing 151 will get a voice engineer who is
less likely to be able to fix it, AIUI.

Phil
--
Tiscali - dialup speeds at Broadband prices, see
http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/postlist...&Board=tiscali

AOL - the unlimited ISP of choice for heavy downloaders.

Phil Thompson wrote:
> On Tue, 13 Sep 2005 19:28:13 +0100, Nightowl <owl@[127.0.0.1]> wrote:
>
>> Perhaps I am wrong. but I understood that to have an ADSL engineer
>> call I had to ask the ISP to arrange it anyway? I'm quite happy to
>> pay as the fault was on my side.
>
> I believe that's the case, an ISP request for an ADSL fault will get
> an ADSL trained engineer, ringing 151 will get a voice engineer who is
> less likely to be able to fix it, AIUI.
>
> Phil

Don't forget the probably visit charge as well, Phil...